Olivier Messiaen: 'Dieu Parmi Nous'

This awesome piece, from Messiaen's famous organ cycle 'La Nativité du Seigneur', comes to you in this recording from the small, but impressive organ in Glenstal Abbey, Ireland.

Organ: Andrew Cyprian Love

Category:

Music

Tags:

• olivier
• messiaen;
• dieu
• parmi
• nous;
• la
• nativite
• du
• seigneur;
• organ;
• trinite;
• glenstal
• abbey;
• ireland;
• monks;
• andrew
• cyprian
• love;
• paris;
• cathedral;
• notre
• dame;
• composers;
• widor;
• vierne;
• dupre;
• langlais;
• demessieux;
• tournemire;
• debussy;
• boulez

[PENNSY671E]

Fabulous.. I have an old Simon Preston recording - but the tempos here are much quicker and help to invigorate this work. I'm no organist - but this sounds very difficult to perform.

[4candles]

Thanks for your comment.

This IS a very difficult piece to perform, because of the confusing cross-rhythms between manuals and pedals and typically awkward (in my opinion) note values. There's nothing like a bit of Messiaen to exercise the mind and the body! I page-turned for a performance of this piece once and it was such a thrilling experience, especially in the toccata-like stages towards the end.

[4candles]

@SuperVideodave Thanks for your comments. Can't find a definition for 'ephraphesant' - can you explain?

[SuperVideodave]

@SuperVideodave ....and by the way: Naji Hakim's and Virgil Fox's renditions I think are best, but Rudolph Innig's is the worst! The rendition in this video is a little bit ephraphesant.

[SuperVideodave]

I've heard sooooooooooooooo many performances of this piece by diffrent organists and it never ceases to amaze me that in the hands of a different artists another character is brought up (including my own miserable attempt to play it - to be honest at the 2:27 point I quit I just lack the technique to do that.)

[1401JSC]

And before playing :

"Paroles du communiant, de la Vierge, de l'Église toute entière: Celui qui m'a créé a reposé dans ma tente, le Verbe s'est fait chair et il a habité en moi. Mon âme glorifie le Seigneur, mon esprit a tressailli d’allégresse en Dieu mon Sauveur."